The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-11-02
Sense of Smell in Dogs.

9lr. George j. RomancS mas communl-
Gated to the Linnean Society the results
of series of experiments, made by him,
to test the strength and acuteness of the
sense OF smell in dogs. He cites the case
of terrier, who could not be thrown off
his masters track upon the pavement OF
Regents Park, although this track was
crossed and recrossed by hundreds OF
flesher ones, and by thousands that were
not so fresh. To make test with a
setter, the master had his men in Indian
file, and the gamekeeper brought up the
rear of the line. Each man placed his
feet in the footprints of his predecessor.
The masters scent was most overlald,
that of the gamekeeper was freshest.
When they had gone two hundred yards,
the master turned to the right, followed
by five of the men, the other six turned
to the left, keeping their usual order.
The setter followed the common track
with such eagerness as to overshoot the
point of divergence; but, quickly re-
gaining this point, chose at once the
track to the right.
The master and stranger to the dog
exchanged boots, and then went different
wavs. The setter followed its masters
boots, and found the stranger.
When the master and stranger walked
the park with bare feet the setter fol-
lowed its masters trail, but not with the
earerness with which it followed the
trail of his boots.
When he walked in new shooting-boots
the setter would not follow.
The master glued single thickness OF
brown paper to the soles and sides of his
old shooting-boots. The setter did not
take the trail until it came to a point
where, the paper having worn away, the
sole of one heel touched the ground.
Then the dog recognized the trail at
once.
Walking in new cotton socks left no
trail that the setter could follow; IN
woolen socks that had been worn q day,
the trail was followed, but not eagerly.
The master walked fifty yards in his
shooting boots, then kicked them off and
carried them with him, while he walked
in stockings 800 yards, then he took oil
his stockings, and walked another 300
yards barefoot. When the setter was
put upon the track at the outset it fol-
lowed with usual eagncrness, and kept
up the pursuit through the whole dis
tance.
Accompanied by stranger to the dog
the master rode out along carriage way,
several hundred yards from the house,
then he aligh:ed, and walked in his
shooting boots fifty yards beside the car
rage. He then entered the carriage,
and his friend got out and walked 200
wards along the way. The setter ran the
whole $50 yards at full speed, without
making any pause at the point where the
scent changed.
The master walked in his ordinary
shooting boots, having first soaked them
in oil OF anise seed. Although the odor
of the anise-seed was so strong as to be
perceived by friend an hour after she
trail was made, the dog followed the
track of its master thus disguised with
usual speed, after having examined the
first three or four steps carefully.
Other experiments tested the power
of scent through the air. The master
walked down a trampled field by zig
gag course for quarter of a mile, then
turned to one side, got over stone-wall
and walked back toward the house. The
stone wall was breast high, and about 100
wards to the windward of his course
down the field. The dog taking the
trail at the top of the field, followed
rapidly its masters winding course. The
moment it gained the "wind's eye" OF
the place where he was standing, with
only his eyes above the top of the wall,
the dog threw up its head, turned from
the track it was following, and went
straight to its owner. And yet there
were at the time several over-heated la
borcrs near it in the field.